MVC Predicted Finish

[amckillip]

I'm going ape **#! crazy over posters saying BU finishing 3rd this year would be a great accomplishment and very satisfying to them.

Agree......

What is the point of anything anymore.

This is the most veteran team we have had in a long time......we have some possible POY candidates... and 4 possible 1st team all MVC'ers....

It will be a long time before we are this talented..........so....if we can't even be given a chance to win the valley......when will we ever..?

Maybe we should move the the ASUN conference....

Cheese and rice. Talk about a meltdown. We're being realistic and you guys seem to think it's the end of the world. We say we're going to be good, people get attacked. We say we're going to finish 3rd, same thing. Tell me. What am I allowed to think?

[thefish7]

Cheese and rice. Talk about a meltdown. We're being realistic and you guys seem to think it's the end of the world. We say we're going to be good, people get attacked. We say we're going to finish 3rd, same thing. Tell me. What am I allowed to think?

I have to echo this. Our various factions have developed hair-trigger syndrome.

[BradleyBrave]

Cheese and rice. Talk about a meltdown. We're being realistic and you guys seem to think it's the end of the world. We say we're going to be good, people get attacked. We say we're going to finish 3rd, same thing. Tell me. What am I allowed to think?

If you're getting attacked for thinking we're going to be good, that's just silly. There's certainly an argument that can be made for us contending this year. It's baffling/disturbing that coaches/writers can give our players such preseason accolades yet still pick us 5th. As the Wichita writer wrote, it doesn't add up.

We haven't been picked to finish anywhere but the middle since '03-'04 when 'Cello, Gilbert, and Gillingham were seniors and we had just added Sommerville (picked 2nd that year, finished 7th and were embarassed by #10 seed ISU in the play-in round in St. Louis). If there was ever a year to pick us to finish near the top, it would be this one. Unfortunately, the point has be beaten in the ground that our continued muddling performances in league play have garnered us the reputation of being no better than a middle-of-the-pack team. Personnel-wise, I can't see us being that far down this year. I just can't.

Easy solution - Let's contend for a title. We're overdue for some basketball 'magic' on the Hilltop.

[tornado]

...As the Wichita writer wrote, it doesn't add up. ...

it doesn't add up to a casual observer -- but we all know what's going on, so I will state it plain and simple for anyone who might argue or disagree...

Reason #1 and only - we have three fine, all-league caliber players in AW, SM, and TB - but most of those voters are saying we don't have anything else, we're weak, lack depth, and little or nothing in the paint..period.
There could, maybe be a little chronic anti-BU bias for other reasons, but I am confident that of the 39 people who voted, likely at least 35 have read and believe and fall in line behind all of what's already been written endlessly on CBSSports, Rivals, Athlon, Lindy's, Sporting News, and a dozen other predictive previews that are all written with no new knowledge since last winter.
Apparently two voters are better informed......

BUT -- here's where our guys can foil them...
WE, JP, and AT have all improved tremendously in the off seaosn and outside of a few here on this board and the team members themselves, virtually nobody knows that --
so I don't mind even being picked 10th if it means those guys don't give us a serious chance to prove them wrong -- and I predict we will.

[TheAsianSensation]

One thing I don't think gets recognized enough: We're not picking team finishes in a vacuum. Everyone isn't just looking at BU and saying, "oh, that's a 5th place team". It's all relative to the other teams in the league. If MSU wasn't the pick du jour, or Creighton hired a bad coach, or UNI graduated more talent, we'd be 2nd with the exact same team that we have right now.

That's what bothers me about all these threads about preseason predictions. Everyone just looks at the one da** number: 5. One number. 5. Without even looking at the context behind the number and what it actually means about us and the league as a whole.

[BradleyJD]

Easy solution - Let's contend for a title.

That's all it will take. Great point, BB.

Play hard, on both ends, day in and day out. Good things will happen.

[mrcoachdude]

In all honesty...I have simply lost track of who is being facitious and sarcastic and who is being serious...

Can we make a list of sides?

[BradleyJD]

In all honesty...I have simply lost track of who is being facitious and sarcastic and who is being serious...

Can we make a list of sides?

[cpacmel]

One thing I don't think gets recognized enough: We're not picking team finishes in a vacuum. Everyone isn't just looking at BU and saying, "oh, that's a 5th place team". It's all relative to the other teams in the league. If MSU wasn't the pick du jour, or Creighton hired a bad coach, or UNI graduated more talent, we'd be 2nd with the exact same team that we have right now.

That's what bothers me about all these threads about preseason predictions. Everyone just looks at the one da** number: 5. One number. 5. Without even looking at the context behind the number and what it actually means about us and the league as a whole.

But TAS, context = REALITY.

Heck Evansville could look thru the context pf things and spin things into why they should be the #1 team in the MVC. If only 8 or 9 things didn't happen, they would be right there. But the thing is those things did happen.

But they are only preseason predictions. And everyone has something to prove.

[MacabreMob]

In all honesty...I have simply lost track of who is being facitious and sarcastic and who is being serious...

Can we make a list of sides?

Maybe we need a poll for people to either select they are a Kool-Aide Drinker or a Negative Nellie.

[thefish7]

Maybe we need a poll for people to either select they are a Kool-Aide Drinker or a Negative Nellie.

First we need to set various factions out. I feel there are more than just these two these days...

[Bradleyguy10]

WE, JP, and AT have all improved tremendously in the off seaosn and outside of a few here on this board and the team members themselves, virtually nobody knows that --
so I don't mind even being picked 10th if it means those guys don't give us a serious chance to prove them wrong -- and I predict we will.

Sorry T, but that bottom line is that this has been said every year since the sweet 16 so can you really blame people including Bradley fans for being skeptical when we hear this AGAIN?

The only thing Bradley has earned since then is an "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude rather than "I'll give them the benefit of the doubt" attitude...which to me explains the 5th place pick. Similar to what you said...they believe we have 3 good players and no one else...even if they hear others have improved...we've heard that every year since 2006....

sorry but I'll believe it when I see it. If it's true Bradley should get 1st place if it's the same story different chapter Bradley will likely be in the 4/5 spot again.

[tornado]

so you are saying that the people who vote for this preseason poll do NOT go on facts and objective evidence,
but instead they think back top the past couple years and vote their subjective hunches and their biases about how BU has performed in past year??
You may be right but if so, then the Valley needs to can their butts and find someone who has some sense to submit the votes that are not biased by such ridiculously subjective feelings about past history...